squalid

adjective

squal·​id ˈskwä-ləd 

1

: marked by filthiness and degradation from neglect or poverty

2

: sordid

squalidly adverb

squalidness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for squalid

dirty, filthy, foul, nasty, squalid mean conspicuously unclean or impure.

dirty emphasizes the presence of dirt more than an emotional reaction to it.

a dirty littered street

filthy carries a strong suggestion of offensiveness and typically of gradually accumulated dirt that begrimes and besmears.

a stained greasy floor, utterly filthy

foul implies extreme offensiveness and an accumulation of what is rotten or stinking.

a foul-smelling open sewer

nasty applies to what is actually foul or is repugnant to one expecting freshness, cleanliness, or sweetness.

it's a nasty job to clean up after a sick cat

In practice, nasty is often weakened to the point of being no more than a synonym of unpleasant or disagreeable.

had a nasty fall

his answer gave her a nasty shock

squalid adds to the idea of dirtiness and filth that of slovenly neglect.

squalid slums

All these terms are also applicable to moral uncleanness or baseness or obscenity.

dirty then stresses meanness or despicableness

don't ask me to do your dirty work

, while filthy and foul describe disgusting obscenity or loathsome behavior

filthy street language

a foul story of lust and greed

, and nasty implies a peculiarly offensive unpleasantness.

a stand-up comedian known for nasty humor

Distinctively, squalid implies sordidness as well as baseness and dirtiness.

engaged in a series of squalid affairs

Examples of squalid in a Sentence

The family lived in squalid conditions.

Recent Examples on the Web

As the would-be proud new homeowners learned, the residence, owned by an absentee title-holder, had until very recently housed about thirty-plus squatters most if not all of whom apparently centered their squalid existences on drugs. —Matt Thompson, SPIN, 13 May 2024

The owner of a South Side not-for-profit that sought to care for the city’s feral cat population now faces charges of animal cruelty after authorities last month allegedly found five dead felines in the basement of her squalid Auburn Gresham home. —Sam Charles, Chicago Tribune, 13 May 2024

The family was living in squalid conditions without food and water. —Erin Clack, Peoplemag, 5 May 2024

Fans were going to games in decades-old stadiums with hard wooden seats and squalid bathrooms. —Bruce Schoenfeld Robert Fass Anna Diamond David Mason, New York Times, 4 May 2024

In emails enclosed in the report, one past employee said animals were being kept in squalid conditions. —Rene Ebersole, Rolling Stone, 21 Apr. 2024

More than 160,000 in the capital are living in squalid displacement camps. —Jacqueline Charles, Miami Herald, 12 Apr. 2024

The World Health Organization says 21 patients died in the hospital during Israel's recent 14-day siege, and that more than 100 patients were trapped without enough food or water in squalid conditions. —Aya Batrawy, NPR, 6 Apr. 2024

And, much as in Europe, some families were kicked out of their homes and forced to live in squalid ghettos. —Theo Zenou, Smithsonian Magazine, 8 Mar. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Latin squalidus rough, dirty, from squalēre to be covered with scales or dirt, from squalus dirty; perhaps akin to Latin squama scale

First Known Use

1596, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

squalid

adjective

squal·​id ˈskwäl-əd 

1

: filthy or degraded as a result of neglect or the lack of money

2

: vile sense 1a

squalidly adverb

squalidness noun